Clatsop Community College announced a leadership restructuring.

Clatsop Community College has eliminated two vice president positions as part of a restructuring amid financial turmoil.

Effective Sept. 14, the college eliminated the role of vice president of academic affairs, which was held by Peter Williams, and vice president of finance and operations, which was held by Shari Montazeri.

The college created a new leadership role — vice president and provost — for Teena Toyas. She previously served as the dean of transfer education.

“This structural change is designed to enhance communication, collaboration and decision-making within our institution while remaining agile in response to the changing landscape of community colleges,” interim president Kevin LaCoste said in an announcement to college staff. “I want to emphasize that these changes are driven by a commitment to improving the overall effectiveness and responsiveness of Clatsop Community College.”

Earlier this summer, Trudy Van Dusen Čitović, the chairwoman of the college board, said the college is in the most precarious financial position in its 65-year history. Van Dusen Čitović and LaCoste briefed city leaders on the college’s financial and leadership challenges.

LaCoste was appointed interim president after the college board reached a separation agreement with Chris Breitmeyer, who left as president a year before his contract expired.

The college expects that $1.5 million in funding for employee retention through coronavirus pandemic relief will help the college get through this fiscal year.

“It’s really an amazing stopgap for us to get through this year,” Van Dusen Čitović said at a college board meeting Thursday night. “But that question will still be there for next year. And what I imagine we would want to do would be to ask Kevin to go back and look at our structure and see how we can get to a point of stability.

“Maybe it’s not in year one, but maybe it’s a five-year plan to really get to a place where we’re taking care of not only our employees but also our buildings.”